Ghost in the Machine

General Tarzak
Tarzak read through the document, his fake smile unchanging as his eyes moved down the page When he reached the end he put the document on the deskand reached for the pen. Just before grabbing it he paused;
"What of military restriction, if any?"
 
Royal Palace, Ferraria

Kyra nodded with a smile, sitting down before the old king. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating on whether or not to speak. "About my father....Not long ago, he authorized a bill that would create four new armadas. He's preparing an invasion force for the Keyes Galaxy. I know you as well as multiple others probably have been keeping a close watch on my father. Especially our military's sudden aggressive actions. I just wanted to let you know that, he's not preparing for any sort of large scale war with Kefalonia or anyone else. Though i don't really agree with what he's doing either."

At the Matrix

"Oh." The Admiral said as the large stream of energy from the forge canon clashed with the battlecruiser's shields for several minutes until the shields overloaded and clashed with the armour until the vessel exploded.

"Brace!" The captain of the cruiser shouted as debris started scattering, impacting the shields of the cruisers and smaller vessels.

Soon after, two other cruisers suffered the same fates as their shields and armor held out only for a a brief moment but being overpowered by the enemy.

"Battle cruiser, two cruisers, four frigates lost. Fleet escort heavily damaged."

It was at this moment when the captain of the sole remaining cruiser ordered an immediate withdrawal. "What about hte Fleet escort ship sir?"

"Leave them! We don't have time to rescue them. 90% of this fleet has been wiped out, we need to make an immediate withdrawal." The Captain ordered. The crew reluctantly gave the order to the two remaining frigates to withdraw, but not before the cruiser was destroyed by the matrix.

Chairman

"The fleet's been nearly wiped out. Only two ships escaped, one of them is heavily damaged." The Federal Grand Admiral said, staring at his hologram reporter. There was silence in the comms room, where the synthetic projections of every Supreme Council member was projected before the Chairman.

"Alert Aegis Command. I want every sector of the Aegis Super Cluster to have their conditions raised to red. All Armadas are to be on standby. As for Araxi. Lock down the entire galaxy. Send in several frigates and destroyers as a precaution." The Grand Marshal replied

"Perhaps we should consider waking up the Knights." The Vice Chairman added, looking around the table. "Now's not the time to talk about farce and old ancient magical fairytale beings. The military is more than capable of handling this." The Chief of the Secret Police replied. "What is your opinion your Excellency?" The Grand General asked.

"I'll leave it up to you gentlemen.....You are responsible for all defensive measures. And allocation of military assets to combat this. Thing."
 
King Voracius (to Tarzak)
"Of course. Klavika can retain a standing army of no more than six million combat troops, not including support staff. There is, of course, a provision against any ship of larger class than a cruiser, and all fusion and higher-classed weapons are heavily regulated. You can, however, petition the Kefalonian Occupational Authority for special exemptions if the need should arise. We do not intend to leave you defenseless."

The Matrix
"They are dispersing, Overseer."

M watched on the viewer as the Federation fleet went into a full rout. He closed his console, the tall crystalline pillar slid into the floor and disappeared. Without a word, he turned away and walked from the terminal room, down the long metal hallways, and across a viewing platform. A small, round drone followed closely behind him, watching over his shoulder as, below, large containers of raw materials zipped by at unconscionable speed.

"Our scavengers are picking apart the debris, Overseer."

"Yes, the next target will be their shipyards. We must cut off the head of this creature and burn it quickly. We are behind schedule."
 

Royal Palace, Ferraria
King Voracius nodded softly. "Miss Kyra, would you care to sit, have a cup of tea?" The King motioned to an open seat near himself and the tea set resting on a tray on a nearby table.

In this girl, Kyra, Voracius saw a potential heir that---if not him---perhaps some future king would be able to reason with. A sane and competent ruler at the helm of the Federation would be a boon to everyone in the Virgo Supercluster, not just the people of the Federation itself.

IneedHealing IneedHealing

Chairman - Royal Palace

The Chairman made his way back into the Royal Palace with haste. Entering Voracius's throne room once more, Hegsha, gave a disapproving glance at his daughter. "Kyra, you know better." The Chairman glared sternly. "Da-"

"Get out." Hegsha said with gritted teeth, pointing at the door. Defeated, Kyra bowed towards Voracious, before taking her leave. Watching his daughter leave, Hegsha stared directly into Voracius's eyes. "Well. This anomaly, has just destroyed a small federal fleet. I've already alerted all forces. If this is a war that this anomaly wants. Then I will strike back with everything I have."

"For now, I've sent out several destroyers and frigates to tail the ship. But it won't be enough." the Chairman pondered for a moment.

"I'm going to route many high valued naval ships into the Virgo Supercluster."

Matrix

Several destroyers and frigates were dispatched to tail the Matrix, in order to feed information back to command.

"Make sure to keep your distance." The Rear Admiral advised as the 12 Kari-Class Frigates and 6 Sarsha-Class Heavy Stealth Destroyers tailed the Matrix

Shireling Shireling
 
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Gladiov Station
West Ferraria, Ferraria
Kefalonia Prime
"Yes, I remembered the shakuri, my dear." Sasarov groaned, fumbling the telephone in his left hand as he drove with his left. His black government staff car was outfitted with a phone---much more convenient than the tiny silver communicator in his coat pocket as far as Sasarov was concerned.

"Alright. Where are you?" The voice, strong and confident, and vigorously feminine.

"I'm pulling up now. Come down and help me with the groceries."

The sleek black staff car pulled up to the curb in Gladiov Station West, surrounded by tall, middle class apartment buildings of various colors. The temperature had risen enough that rain was falling instead of snow, cold rain that soaked Sasarov's coat and chilled him to the bone as he exited the vehicle with two canvas bags under his arms. Up the steps, in the dull yellow lights, the door opened and Mrs. Enklar emerged. A quick kiss, Sasarov shed his coat and hung it up in the anteroom before following his wife into the kitchen with their groceries.

Renoa, noticeably pregnant, had on a bathrobe, dark hair wet from a late evening shower.

"I'm surprised you're up." Sasarov remarked as he went about stocking the icebox with nerve tonic and canned meat.

"I sleep all day since I've been of work, Sas." Came the reply. "Besides, I wanted to see you before you left tomorrow morning."

Sasarov nodded, coming into the living room and marching over to the liqueur cabinet where he poured himself a nightcap, and went about rummaging in the record bin for a music cylinder. Finally, he picked up one of the pen-sized metal tubes and laid it in the slot of the nearby music machine, filling the room with a soft, ambient undercurrent of piano. He found his chair, beside hers, and lit up a cigar. In the silence between them was a mountain of unspoken affection, thus it was with most of their kind. The Kefalonians were never a people prone to romanticism, but always there was that unspoken love.

"Am I allowed to know?"

"Know what?" Sasarov blew smoke ponderously.

"Where you're going."

"It would be better if you did not. All I can tell you is that I won't be on the frontlines of anything." A bald-faced lie, but one he executed to perfection. Truth be told, Sasarov was to spearhead Naval Intelligence's analysis and response to the Anomaly, what they were calling 'The Matrix' after a legend referenced from a far-flung civilization concerning an ancient race of destroyers and builders. He dreaded having to work with the Federation, all thick-headed party stooges for the most part. Part of him hoped the thing would lay waste to their capital, all the better.

But, to be truthful, Sasarov could not let that thought linger. For how many untold quadrillions would die? And then it would be but a matter of time...

The movement of his wife, and with her his unborn son, stirred his thoughts back into the now.

"Come to bed?"

He rose and put out the cigar. "Of course, Renoa." And the room was dark.

The Matrix
The Federation ships had been tailing the Matrix for some few galactic intervals when, finally, there was more activity. The fires of the dreaded forge were brighter than ever, and expelling all sorts of fumes and solar radiation. After a few days of such activity, the craft suddenly, and without warning, began a slip-space jump. The whole of the structure took several hours to wedge its way between the dimensions of space before disappearing from realspace and into the hyperlanes.

Six days later, the vessel reappeared, on the outskirts of Araxi near a massive fortress system that was a nexus of power for the defending Federation forces. To the chagrin of the defenders, the massive vessel possessed some sort of gravitational manipulation array that gave it the effective specific gravity of a large meteorite---not enough to knock the whole system into chaos, but this did enable the station to come right upon the defenders. The Matrix had arrived. The call to arms was sounded!
 
Central Command on Naxus was in a state of disarray. An unknown vessel has just popped up in the capital system of Sector Leo. Close to the capital planet of Orian, which was surrounded by an entire ring of defensive satellites, as well as

What portion of the 14th Armada was left to protect the system were being deployed. Protocol #003 was enacted, within Sector Leo. Stating that all available ships under the command of the 14th Armada were to re-route back to their home port in order to defend the capital system. As soon as the Protocol was activated, nearly every fleet that made up the 14th Armada re-routed and set their course for the capital.

The only problem was that a vast majority of the fleets were scattered about, patrolling the dark spaces of the Aegis Super cluster in their annual Patrol Rotation. The Homeguard fleet, comprised of 30 Cruisers, 40 frigates, 20 cruisers, 20 battleships, 10 super battleships, and 4 Dreadnoughts were forced to engage the matrix with everything that they were capable of mustering.

The Federal Navy began their defense. All defensive orbital platforms, guns, including the current homeguard fleet were dispatched.

---
Central Command - Undisclosed Location

"If the unthinkable happens. I want that solar system purged." The Chairman said. Every single General, and Admiral went silent at the Chairman's words. "Your excellency....If we destroy the dysonsphere....it will most certainly vaporize the 4 core planets. Along with the entire LEOSECCOM. Not to mention the 4 billion lives that we must protect." Grand Admiral Tari inquired.

"Now's not the time nor place to be concerned about the lives we lose." The Chairman replied.

"Chairman. Do you understand what we are going to lose? All the assets we are going to destroy with out a single THOUGHT on what the repercussions will be? Do you intend to sacrifice our own servicemen and women, along with billions of innocent civilians?" Tari stood up from her seat in the war room. "How can you say that so Calmly? Chairman?"

"Grand Admiral. How foolish are you to have such empathy for the people of this Federation. The people's purpose is to serve the needs of the Federation as a whole. To insure that the military is already ready to repel threats. To give their lives so that our regime can continue to rule with order and law. The people are here to serve us. The ruling body. With out us, the Vikran race will be thrown into chaos and strife once more. It was only because of our intervention did that chaos and corruption seize. Ruling this Federation is not about acting on one's emotions Grand Admiral. It is about facing the reality of the universe. A universe that is cold and unforgiving. If you have any respect for that rank. You will stop preaching ideological nonsense and begin the evacuation of essential personnel. If Orian falls, LEOSECCOM will be relocated to Ikazuchi. The Sub-Capital. I expect you to follow these orders. As a Soldier of the G.V.F.O. Who has pledged his allegiance to me, the Chariman." The Chairman glared at the Grand Admiral, defeated, took a seat once more.

"For now. I want everything we have at our disposal to be used against that thing. All forces will engage to the death."
 
The Matrix, lumbering like an ancient titan in the dark void of space, dwarfing the planet of Orian. At first, no movement could be detected from the interior of the craft. Then, shortly thereafter, the red and orange glow of the plasma forge was fired. On the long, tube-like metal protrusions that jutted out towards the planet, metal doors slid away to reveal cavernous holes. Out of these caverns, innumerable small spacecraft poured forth, setting upon the 14th Armada with fury.

The small craft ranged from chair-sized, spheroid scavenger drones that tore at the armor of the ships with plasma torches to house-sized automated cruisers with a roughly flat, triangular shape firing plasma and ion weapons at the ships of the Armada, which were quickly outnumbered 100 to 1. The Matrix's escort craft moved in sync, attacking the Federation ships in a full wall of fire that made it difficult for the embattled defenders to coordinate a unified defense. Just as the battle grew heaviest, the Matrix's forge cannon fired---liquidating the 14th Armada's capital ship. The fight looked grim indeed.

IneedHealing IneedHealing
 
-Orian Surface-

millions of civilians were pouring through the gates of the various spaceports across the planet, in order to flee the ensuing battle. Hundreds were trampled, and the military police, did the best they could to control the civilians.

-Homeguard fleet-

The homeguard fleet began to return fire, as all their fighters were launched to engage the drones, while the defensive satellites and dfense belts opened up their large guns upon the drones and ships being launched from the matrix. The entire homeguard fleet began their engagement with the matrix itself.

"Get Supreme Admiral Reznev to launch his surface fleet now!" The Supreme Admiral ordered before his super battleship was sunk by the matrix.

"Sir! Supreme Admiral Thral's ship has been sunk!"

"Dammit!"

"Who's in command?"

"Admiral Reznev's now the sole commander of the homeguard fleet. Patch him through. We need him to launch. And patch me through to LEOSECCOM, I need to know when the entire 14th Armada will be arriving."

"Admiral! The vessel is advancing closer!"
 
Orian-LEOSECCOM

The entire facility was abandoned. Alarms blared out within the underground control centre, locate deep under the military HQ. Various automated commands echoed through out the hallways and various control rooms. Giving out orders, when there was not a single soul that remained manning the control rooms to coordinate their battle. The Entire facility was abandoned. All but one man. Supreme Admiral Reznev, who had gone down to warn HQ about the enemy's overwhelming numbers. But, realizing that Control was abandoned, Reznev moved towards one of the hologram monitors, typing away as a file was pulled up.

"What?" Reznev narrowed his eyes, carefully reading the blue-white text.

---

-Eyes Only-

-All members of LEOSECCOM shall evacuate immediately and rendevous at the sub-capital Ikazuchi. Do not inform the Solar Government. Be advised that the Grand Admiral of the 14th Armada has been notified to move his reinforcement fleet away from the blast zone, when central command gives the signal to retreat-


----

"Bastards." Reznev sprinted out of the control room and back up the catapult elevators, which took him back to the surface, more specifically, the military docks, where his battleship was. Reznev, made his way to the bridge. "Admiral. We are ready to launch." The captain reported, saluting Reznev. "Anything new from Head Quarters???"

"I-I can't get through to them sir. All i'm getting is the same message being repeated on all channels; All units are to hold their positions and return fire as the situation call for." The Captain replied. "The rest of the 14th Armada are still hours away from warping in. I suggest we launch immediately to reinforce the homeguard fleet."

"That's not important." Reznev responded. "S-Sir? What-" Reznev firmly gripped his captain's shoulders. "This is one screwed up plan. What kind of orders did they give the homeguard fleet?"

"Uh..."

"Listen to me. And listen to me well. There's a thermo-atomizer disruption detonator inside of the Dysonsphere. That thing is powerful enough to turn anything within 750 million km of the sun into a blast furnace." The captain's eyes widened, as did the rest of the bridge crew. "It's impossible to defend the system with what's left, and reinforcements from the rest of the 14th Armada can't make it in time. Soon, what's left of our defenses will be gone and the main defense ring will fall. That's when Central Command will make the decision to detonate the T.A.D.D and destroy the solar system. And in the process, deny the enemy vessel any of our classified files, tech, weapons and attempt to take IT out as well."

"That's the scenario for this battle as imagined by the High Command."

"It. It can't be possible." Reznev frowned, gritting his teeth. "i saw it with my own eyes. The entire LEOSECCOM HQ is empty. The only ones left to fight is the homeguard fleet detachment, and LEOSDN, as an excuse to distract the alien threat!"

"So High Command left us here to die? Is that what you're saying sir?" Reznev shook his head. "Only after a desperate fight so that the enemy doesn't know it's a trap."

"What do you want us to do sir?" The captain inquired. The entire bridge fell silent. Renzev slowly wiped the sweat off his forehead, before unbuttoning his top collar.".....If the whole object of this battle was to lure the alien craft closer in....Then in my opinion, the Homeguard fleet has already accomplished it's mission...Note that I, Supreme Admiral Yau Reznev made this decision alone. No other crew or commander is to be held accountable for these actions....:

"This ship will now abandon the battlefield, and begin to make it's withdrawal. Signal the remaining ships, and tell them to follow us. And Captain." Reznev said turning his head towards the bewildered old man.

"Launch this ship at once."

The battleship, along with the 14 other smaller vessels took off from the HQ docks, as they broke through the planet's atmosphere, into the ensuing battle. Most of the homeguard fleet was taken out. The surviving ships were putting up a desperate, fight against the matrix.

- VFN Timyra -

"The alien vessel has just broken through the main defensive rings of the core worlds. The system is on the verge of falling." The Supreme Admiral advised, the two Grand Admirals inside the conference room. The two admirals looked at each other, both nodding in approval before two soldiers opened up a remote detonation case. In unison, both Grand Admirals placed their keys into the slots, both turning the key in unison, arming the case. Then, in unison, the Grand Admirals pressed the bright green buttons on their individual briefcases.

-Orian-

The TADD's timers were activated as the digits rapidly counted down from 10 seconds. When it hit zero, the entire dysonshpere was engulfed in a blinding white light before a massive shockwave ripped theough out the system, knocking out any electronics in its path. Then, came the destruction as a pulse of powerful energy ripped through out the core systems, obliterating the 5 core planets, along with them, 4 billion people, vaporized instantly. Then, the explosion let out one final shockwave of destruction as it ripped through the solar system and beyoned.

The destruction wpuld have been seen from light years away as a bright white light in the night sky over took all others, before quickly dimming into the abyss once more.
 
The bright light of the artificial supernova washed over the Matrix after atomizing all of her drone cruisers and scavenger bots. Solar fire licked at the super-dense, obsidian-colored armor of the ancient vessel, funneling through ancient cracks and scars left in that damnable armor by conquered peoples of eons past. Yet, when the solar winds had jettisoned the last of the hot gas and plasma out into the cosmos, there remained the Matrix--looming large and menacing, amidst the brand new nebula that the blast had created.

On the command bridge, M made the motion of cracking his knuckles. Naturally no sound followed.

"Overseer, superstructure is holding, but the armor plating will need repairs soon."

"How many scavenger drones do we have left?"

"A few billion, enough to finish repairs quickly and move on. It will be more difficult now that the materials are scattered and partially atomized."

"Right," M said, descending down the nearby staircase with particles trailing behind him, "see that it is done."

Kefalonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kefalonia Prime
"Baldorov, have you seen this?" Someone in the other office called to the Minister of Foreign Affairs as the teletype machine behind his desk began to whir to life, the mechanical hands of the machine quickly typing out the telefaxed report that had just come in from the Naval Intelligence Minister. Six crisp, clean sheets shot off the telepress and landed neatly on a tray next to Baldorov's computer console. The slightly rotund bureaucrat placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and read the first few lines:

REPORT ON ORION INCIDENT, ARAXI

At the seventh hour, roughly, local time yesterday the alien vessel classified DDT-21D, also known as "The Matrix" attacked a heavily fortified system administrated by the Vikran Federation, thereafter crushing the Federation fleet and surviving a supernova blast. The Ministry of Naval Intelligence has moved the anomaly's classification from Potentially Dangerous to Extremely Dangerous. You are advised to assemble the allies and potential allies of the Kefalonian Trade Empire for a sharing of intelligence and discussion on the threat. Special Agent Sasarov has already been dispatched to Federation territory to assist on their end.

Baldorov set the report down and went to his computer console. Assembling a meeting of the allies of Kefalonia would be easy: there were several. First, there were the insectoid Ionusians---a long-time member of the Trade Federation. The Phenians, another long time ally. The Cephali, a more recent (within the century) addition. There were other minor races that had no consolidated government that would not need representatives. Then there were the "potential allies." The Finecians had recently presented themselves as potential, if not allies already. They would certainly be invited. The Klavikans, of course, were bound by the treaty to assist in these matters if they were needed, so he would send for a representative from the Provisional Government. Then, there was the Yor, a migrating race of traders that usually found themselves in Trade Empire territory. A report had come across his desk of a new nation that had emerged in the Milky Way, backwater place though it may be, called the Marquilla Union. He could contact them. Furthermore, there were other nations that he could possibly bring on board. The so-called Provisional Authority of Gates, for example, were a warlike group that might be persuaded to assist in the cause, and they did have some third party relations with them---crude and uncivilized though they may be. Then there were the Moira, a race of subterranean... well, he wasn't sure what they were, but they had had diplomatic relations in the past. He would send them an invite. When he had decided these were the parties he would invite, he shot off a hypercommunique to be sent to the nearest relay system.

Attention by Order of the Kefalonian Ministry of Foreign Afffairs, you are hearby cordially invited to attend a summit of nations held at the Royal Palace, Kefalonia Prime. Parties intending to send representatives should send them unarmed as a gesture of goodwill, as we will be sharing sensitive intelligence in the course of the meeting.

---Kaspar Baldorov, Minister of Foreign Affairs

IneedHealing IneedHealing Spacekitty Spacekitty Echopraxia Echopraxia The Gunrunner The Gunrunner Zaltusinel Zaltusinel
 
High Command

-Report-
All Federal Fleets are to go on standby.
All Galaxies have been alerted and threat conditions have been raised to red.
All warp distributors are to be activated.

"It seems like the alien craft is still standing." A Grand Admiral said. "Reports are saying that the surviving vessels of the homeguard fleet had abandoned the battle before the TADD was detonated."

"Reznev....He has always been trouble. Damn him." Another Grand Admiral responded. "But he's one of the best we have. We still have use for him. I'm glad that slick bastard manadged to find out about our plans. It saved us a lot from having to fill his rank with a lesser competent individual."

"I was H.E.D warheads to be deployed against the alien craft. Continue harassing that vessel as it makes repairs." A The Fleet Marshal demanded, laying down his hologram monitor ontop of the table. "We shall begin regrouping the entire 14th Armada at Palmaria."

-----

Remnants of the homeguard fleet

The 27 ships of the homeguard fleet made a blind jump in the midst of the battle as the fleet found themselves warping out in Kefalonian territory. A number of vessels were damaged and were in need of repairs, while the chain of command tried to assess their situation.

"Supreme Admiral. What should we do?"

"We're in Kefalonian territory. We need to set a course for neutral territory immediately." Reznev ordered. "But sir, nine of our ships are damaged, and don't have the necessary materials to make repairs to their engines."

"Dammit." Reznev scowled. "Try and patch us through to the nearest Federal relay station."

"All frequencies are busy or static. We can't pinpoint the nearest relay point."

".....Patch a frequency for Kefalonian vessels." The bridge fell silent. "It's the only option we have, unless anyone else has a better suggestion. And I do not want federation forces bringing in entire armadas to retrieve us. Our very presence is enough to invoke emergency talks, unless the Kefs know what's up. Patch me through." The Comms officers stared at the Supreme Admiral before he reluctantly agreed and opened up a frequency for the kefalonian navy. Sending a distress signal, in repeated intervals, letting any nearby kefalonian vessel know that the Federation forces are in need of emergency relief.

"Now we wait."

Shireling Shireling

-------


Federation forces were not on high alert. All through out the Aegis Super Cluster, armada detachments were deployed to lock down all trading routes, hyperlanes, and borders, apart from the border connecting the Aegis Super Cluster with the Virgo Super Cluster, which only saw a dramatic increase in military presence, and not a full scale lock down.

Shireling Shireling Spacekitty Spacekitty
 
Keselnek System, Kefalonian Hinterland
The Keselnek system was a backwater part of the Empire populated mostly by miners, scavengers, traders,and various forms of agriculture both of the orbital and ground-based variety. There were three planets in the system orbiting a white dwarf star fairly closely: the lush agricultural world of Keselnek I, the volcanic mining planetoid Keselnek II, and a gas giant ringed by the sparsely inhabited moons of Keselnek III, IV, and V.

As the Federation vessels arrived, they were immediately picked up by a radar array on Keselnek III where the system's small garrison was held. Only six or seven frigates were in the system, as the 417th Fleet was in the next system over conducting exercises. At first, the Kefalonian outpost was going to send a distress signal---however, the Federal vessels seemed damaged and, either way, had not made any offensive maneuvers. Then their distress signal came through on the hyperradio.

"This is Keselnek III garrison. Unfortunately, we do not have the facilities needed to repair your ships, and the nearest shipyard is several parsecs galactic southeast. I am patching you through to the nearby merchantman 225 clicks galactic east of your position. It's registered as a salvager vessel and may have some parts that would allow you to repair your own ships. I will send word of your presence and non-hostile compliance to Regional Command."

The channel crackled as the station patched Reznev through to a nearby salvager vessel, which appeared to the east of the flagship as a large, rectangular vessel with a utilitarian design that seemed unlike the usually artistic ship designs of the Kefalonians. It was a salvager vessel, a large junk ship that went from system to system hawking spare parts.

"This is Captain Ekrov of the salvager Ulius. I understand that you may have a repair problem. You are free to come aboard my vessel to negotiate for spare parts, just leave your guns on the ship."

IneedHealing IneedHealing
 
"And there. See?" Reznev said looking at the comms officers who shook their heads in response. "Come on boys. Lighten up. We have a stressful few hours aheqd of us." Reznev turned towards his captain. " ill make my way down to the hangar. You're in charge captain." Reznev said heading out.

In the hangar, a military shuttle was prepped as it was dispatched to the Ulius.

"Reznev...."

"Hm?" Reznev turned his head towards his comrade, Admiral Iren. "Should we inform the Kefalonians about the current situation?"

"You mean the TADD?" Reznev inquired. "Yeah."

".....that's tough. The fact that our own military decided to use us as bait. It would certainly be a negative towards our country."

"But we should inform yhe kefalonians of what had transpired." Iren responded. A bit hesitant.

"The Federation already has an uneasy relationshio with the rest of the universe. If word goes out that the government is willing to turn their own weapons of mass destruction against their own....there's no telling what the intergalactic community will do." Reznev responded. "But we should tell them that we were part of LEOSECCOM's defense. Hopefully they will be more willing to negotiate if they understand we just came out of a battle against that alien vessel."

Shireling Shireling
 
The shuttle was received in the hangar bay of the Ulius on the port side of the vessel, which measured 10 kilometers bow to stern and nearly a kilometer wide. The wide and tall hangar was populated by half-rusted, thirty or forty year old personal spacecraft, and several larger Geokov-class cargo ships, used mostly as smuggling vessels.

The hangar was populated by Kefalonians in various different forms of clothing. The smugglers could usually be seen carrying pistols on their hips like cowboys in an old Western movie, walking around with leather dusters flapping as currents of air came through the vents. There were what looked to be some mechanics in grey coveralls examining the engine of a small personal spacecraft, and several men dressed in dingy Kefalonian suits with gaudy patterns that suggested travelling merchants.

Then there were the crew of the Ulius, who wore grey, oil-stained uniforms and carried old military-surplus plasma rifles. They mingled among the crowd in the hangar, making sure no one was leaving off with merch they didn't pay for.

As the Federation men stepped off their shuttle, they were greeted by a male and a female crew member, each of which had a near permanent scowl on their faces.

"The Captain is on the Bridge, we will escort you."

Quickly, the salvagers led Reznev and his lieutenant through a large industrial door into a large open gallery where various spaceship and other vehicle parts were piled in stacks like those common at a junkyard. In the center of the cavernous room's ceiling, a crane was picking up an old car and placing it in a crushing machine located near the back wall. This room, like the hangar, was populated with smugglers and traders sifting through the wreckage to see if there was anything of value.

"So you boys are Federation, eh?" The female crew member asked, turning towards them. She had a small language computer tucked into her left ear so she could talk to them in their language.

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"Supreme Admiral Yau Reznev." The Admiral greeted, before pointing at his comrade. "This is my second in command. Fleet Admiral Mira Iren."

"We need supplies to make repairs. We were just involved in a battled with an alien anomaly. In the midst of the chaos, we had to make an emergency jump." Iren added.

"And also, please allow us to have an audience with the king." Reznev said. "It......It regards something very important and....case sensitive. Something that the king should know about."

Shireling Shireling
 
The crewmen looked at each other, and for a minute their faces turned from stony scowls into amused grimaces. "Well that's nice and all, but we're not exactly the secretaries for His Majesty Himself. You'd be better to talk to one of the navy pukes about that." Said the female crewman.

They led them into a lift when they reached the far side of the room, which closed with a heavy thud of reinforced iron and began to move upwards. "As for parts, your ensign sent over a manifest of some of the parts you'll need to get back into shipshape. I'll admit, we don't have a lot of Federation vessels that we've cannibalized so these parts are not gonna be cheap---but, we've got everything you need. For 18,000 extra marks we'll also outfit you with an old perpetual motion generator core from an old dreadnought we scrapped once not too long back. It's old, but it beats fusion or whatever you people use."

IneedHealing IneedHealing
 
The crewmen looked at each other, and for a minute their faces turned from stony scowls into amused grimaces. "Well that's nice and all, but we're not exactly the secretaries for His Majesty Himself. You'd be better to talk to one of the navy pukes about that." Said the female crewman.

They led them into a lift when they reached the far side of the room, which closed with a heavy thud of reinforced iron and began to move upwards. "As for parts, your ensign sent over a manifest of some of the parts you'll need to get back into shipshape. I'll admit, we don't have a lot of Federation vessels that we've cannibalized so these parts are not gonna be cheap---but, we've got everything you need. For 18,000 extra marks we'll also outfit you with an old perpetual motion generator core from an old dreadnought we scrapped once not too long back. It's old, but it beats fusion or whatever you people use."

IneedHealing IneedHealing

"Dark matter collision disruption field generators. We currently use a classified type of containment generator." Iren corrected, earning a nugde from Reznev.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Considering the Federation's uneasy relation with the rest of the universe. And with our more secluded policies." Reznev said following the crew.

Reznev stared at the core generator. It was a golden rectangular device with various circuit wiring lining the metallic surface of the old rusty generator. Leaning in closer, reznev began to carefully inspect the old core. "Amazing."

Reznev turned his head back around with a look of amusement. "I'm amazed that your people have managed to find a DFG Type IV engine core. This thing's got to be several hundred thousand years old. Im amazed that an old dreadnought managed to droft all the way out here. Absolutely astounding."

"It's a marvel that the core is in intact." Iren pointed out. "How much will it be total?"
 
"For the core and all that's on the manifest, 80,000 Marks." Said a voice from behind Reznev as a middle-aged Kefalonian man in a grimy suit carrying a clipboard emerged from the nearby hallway, after being brought from the lift into the anterior room of the Bridge.

The crewmen saluted. "Captain."

"At ease." Captain Ekrov murmured, flipping through the manifest that he had pinned to his clipboard. "So how will I be getting paid, gentlemen? Cash or check?"

Captain Ekrov had more of the air of a used car salesman than the captain of a starship, with a smarmy sort of look on his face. His hair was unkempt and his tie was loose and crooked. But, he was the most successful scrap vendor in this part of space.

IneedHealing IneedHealing
 
"For the core and all that's on the manifest, 80,000 Marks." Said a voice from behind Reznev as a middle-aged Kefalonian man in a grimy suit carrying a clipboard emerged from the nearby hallway, after being brought from the lift into the anterior room of the Bridge.

The crewmen saluted. "Captain."

"At ease." Captain Ekrov murmured, flipping through the manifest that he had pinned to his clipboard. "So how will I be getting paid, gentlemen? Cash or check?"

Captain Ekrov had more of the air of a used car salesman than the captain of a starship, with a smarmy sort of look on his face. His hair was unkempt and his tie was loose and crooked. But, he was the most successful scrap vendor in this part of space.

IneedHealing IneedHealing

"We'll transfer cash to your vessel." Reznev replied. "We're going to need a few extra hands in bringing some of this aboard."
 
"For the core and all that's on the manifest, 80,000 Marks." Said a voice from behind Reznev as a middle-aged Kefalonian man in a grimy suit carrying a clipboard emerged from the nearby hallway, after being brought from the lift into the anterior room of the Bridge.

The crewmen saluted. "Captain."

"At ease." Captain Ekrov murmured, flipping through the manifest that he had pinned to his clipboard. "So how will I be getting paid, gentlemen? Cash or check?"

Captain Ekrov had more of the air of a used car salesman than the captain of a starship, with a smarmy sort of look on his face. His hair was unkempt and his tie was loose and crooked. But, he was the most successful scrap vendor in this part of space.

IneedHealing IneedHealing


Another shuttle was called up, only this time, it were two soldiers carrying a military issued box. The two soldiers brought their precious cargo out, before presenting it to Reznev. "The cash you requested Admiral?"

Reznev gestured at the Captain of the vessel. "The money goes to the kind Kefalonian Captain."
 
"Attention by Order of the Kefalonian Ministry of Foreign Afffairs, you are hearby cordially invited to attend a summit of nations held at the Royal Palace, Kefalonia Prime. Parties intending to send representatives should send them unarmed as a gesture of goodwill, as we will be sharing sensitive intelligence in the course of the meeting."

To anyone with an inkling of knowledge on the foreign crisis, this message was no surprise. It didn't take any great amount of imagination to guess what this would be about. Still, it was enough to call this meeting together. The overseer lets out a deep sigh, shifting to a more comfortable position in the canister. He'd been alive long enough, witnessed crises great enough to know a little of what to expect. Though that experience never made the effects any better. With a grunt, the leader plugs the wire into the slot bared in his neck. Immediately, he feels the machinery in and around his brain come to life. An assistant screws in the equipment while the overseer rests his arms, and another secures his connection with the other leaders on the communication equipment.

His vision is abruptly anomalized, like his eyes are sucked through an impossibly long tunnel. The ceiling of the room rushes miles away in mere seconds, leaving him in temporary black. He need only wait a few more moments as the grand meeting room is pulled into place, leaving him with the military and political leaders of the empire. They are sat in a circle, facing a center occupied by a polished metallic protrusion, formed like a smoothed broken pillar. It seems their leader will not join them in this meeting. It was unsurprising really - She rarely did. Naturally, the overseer stands from his seat of digitized fictional material and nodded to those present. "Welcome," he stated. It was the only word he needed to say, as was customary. The rest would be handled with neural transmissions, for the sake of time and efficiency. Before the overseer could sit back down, the discussion has already began.

Though this request was simple itself, there was much more to discuss. The empire's initial discovery of the ship had garnered interest itself, but the progression of this event was becoming more disturbing. Fragmented transmissions from the Araxi galaxy and odd reports from internal spy networks. There wasn't much, but it seemed doubtful the gaps were hiding good news. With the Kefalonians sending for a meeting, this could be proof that darker days were just on the horizon... But there were other possibilities...

As the discussion rages on, region 13's 0534256 turns the focus of his mental attention to the Overseer: "So would you use this as justification for our concern? Perhaps this is just some elaborate trick from these Kefalonians. They are known for their desperation for new converts - Perhaps they've decided to spread that religion out of their galaxy, not shared just by their own inferiors."
"This may eventually reveal itself to a trick, you are correct, but the other possibility is too dangerous to ignore." With that, his code was used to override the other attendants - Their transmitters were abruptly blocked out of the system, restraining them from the ability to speak to one another. The Overseer was now dominant. "This discussion will continue later. For now, the Empire is to contact our ally and organize a collaborative meeting with the Kefalonians. Exarch R17-S44-P2-134524 is already on his way to foreign space, and will be temporarily reassigned. R25 will receive the transmission via information lasers first. Find someone to direct him during the meeting. Once we've received our information, there will be another meeting. R25-S13-P5-2342556 will organize our next discussion." And that was that. Their environment is sucked away in the same way reality was to get them here. In mere seconds, the real world floods back into their vision. The overseer sucked in a breath, feeling the drive being unscrewed and pulled form his neck. He cleared his throat, patting down his coat as he peeled himself from the chair - He straightens himself and turns to the man on the comms: "Get in contact with OIR Shire."
 
PA Volume, Far East Galactic Edge, Hind System


Far beneath the ICV Indefatigable the world designated Hind-1 burned.

It was a primitive society, mere decades into spaceflight. It had been allowed to develop uncontacted, unhindered, and unmolested on the far eastern edge of PA and galactic volumes. But it had crossed a technological threshold from uselessness to useful tools, and the PA had swooped in to collect.

Remote analysis long before had identified a societal pressure point: Their god-emperor. His cooperation would ensure the compliance of his subjects (That is, the whole of the species.), as it had for his purported 10,000-year reign.

The prim’ fleet had been annihilated in hours, A few cities near to orbital defences were blasted. PAN:Marines had secured the Imperial Palace shortly after the flotilla entered orbit. They and the flotilla commander personally persuaded the Divine King as to the futility of resistance. So the armies surrendered, largely unbloodied, and a new occupational government under Fleet control was established.

Until some clever bastard assassinated the Emperor and pinned it on them: Mass autoeuthanisation. Rioting. An army splintering to local control and going underground, planting the seeds of a troublesome resistance.

It would take months to unfuck - a sizable delay. Subjugating prim’s was not overly prestigious but it was the bread and butter of the PA economy. Why fight and occupy a world, taking the worry and expense of running its government and maintaining its infrastructure when you could simply have them do it themselves? And skim off resources, manpower, and finished goods, of course. Cheap. But when things went wrong there was little choice but hard intervention.

Subjugation was also a stepping stone in an officer’s career. Demonstrate diplomacy and good judgement, coupled with efficient command and move up to a full-marshal position, commanding a proper fleet.

So it was not with complete dispassion that the commander of Task Force Hind, Subordinate-Marshal Jilt Arlton-Zelir, watched her flotilla’s munitions rain down on the three worlds: It was a simple fact she would have to utterly break the will of the people, destroy and semblance of an organisation from which opposition might arise. Callous calculations of politics and might.

So they killed their way down the hierarchy. Lasers chased undersecretaries across city blocks, leaving swaths of conflagration. The operation room’s screen flashed white as a nobleman’s manor was vapourised. The prime minister, evidently hoping to inspire his remaining troops with personal heroism, was lanced to ashes seconds after his commandeered aircraft rolled out of its bunker and onto the tarmac. Jilt tapped the arm of her swivel chair, elevated above the rest of the cramped and narrow ops room, bored and annoyed. On the holos and screens before her thousands died.

It had been going so well, until someone had sneaked past hundreds of her Marines and orbital surveillance to blow up His Divine Majesty. Jilt wouldn’t be surprised if the Moira had a hand in this. This sort of low-level conflict was the only sort their the delicate balance of power would permit, lest full scale war erupt between the Provisional Authority and the Moiran Collective Empire. If this was the Moira, and that was above her paygrade, perhaps one of the Cavers’ lonely stellar mining platforms would experience a catastrophic accident, or a rebellion of some client-race would suddenly erupt on a valuable industrial world. Then the two sides would be even. Until the next strategically useful violation.


She was shaken out of her reverie by the squelch of the operation room’s teleprinter. Orders, highest priority Her interest morphed, perhaps, to the shadow of apprehension as she heard the length of it: FTL transmissions were usually short and to the point. She swiveled to grab the curling slip of hardcopy..
 
------------------------------------------------------------

TO: CO EXPEDITIONARY FORCE HIND (S.MAR JILT ARLTON-ZELIR, ICV INDEFATIGABLE)
FROM: CINCFAREAST (F.MAR AHYN GINT-KITKAMER, CICV NEMESIS)

****FLEET SECRET
****HIGHLY URGENT
**INTEL
**ORDERS

BRIEFING

1. LARGE, UNKNOWN CONTACT (FLEET DESIGNATION "BATTERRAM") HAS BREACHED ARAXI VOLUMES.

1.1 BATTERRAM LONG AXIS EXCEEDS 5.4X10^4 KM. BATTERRAM HAS NO DISCERNABLE MARKINGS. BATTERRAM IS HEAVILY ARMED AND ARMOURED.

1.2 BATTERRAM'S PROJECTED COURSE IS PERPENDICULAR TO PA AND MCE GALACTIC VOLUMES.

1.3 BATTERRAM IS DESIGNATED HIGHLY DANGEROUS

1.4 BATTERRAM HAS DESTROYED ALL OPPOSITION: TWO FEDERATION FLEETS (14TH ARMADA (INTEL 74% PROBABILITY)) OF UNKNOWN BUT STRATEGICALLY SIGNIFICANT POWER.

1.5 FEDERATION ORION DYSONSPEHERE HAS EXPLODED. BATTERRAM REMAINS.

1.6 BATTERRAM COURSE IS MAINTAINED. [COORDINATES ATTACHED]

2.0 KEFALONIAN DIPLOMATIC TRANSMISSION AS FOLLOWS: "ATTENTION BY ORDER OF THE KEFALONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFFAIRS (SIC), YOU ARE HEARBY CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND A SUMMIT OF NATIONS HELD AT THE ROYAL PALACE, KEFALONIA PRIME. PARTIES INTENDING TO SEND REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD SEND THEM UNARMED AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL, AS WE WILL BE SHARING SENSITIVE INTELLIGENCE IN THE COURSE OF THE MEETING."

2.1 MOIRAN NAVAL VESSEL OIR SHIRE ON COURSE TO TRANSIT INTERGALACTIC-TELEPORTER-GATE 746 "KAPETON", CONNECTED TO ARAXIAN VOLUME, AT [TIMESTAMP].

2.2 ANALYSIS: MOIRANS INTEND UNILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS.

ORDERS

3.0 YOU ARE TEMPORARILY PROMOTED TO ACTING VICE-MARSHAL FOR THE DURATION OF DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES.

3.1 1CAP AMIN DELA-ARCHIMI TO ASSUME COMMAND OF TASK FORCE HIND

3.2 PROCEED AT BEST SPEED WITH CHOSEN SHIPS TO KEFALONIA PRIME [COORDINATES ATTACHED]

3.3 DO NOT ALLOW OIR SHIRE TO ARRIVE BEFORE YOUR FORCES.

3.4 ATTEND CONFERENCE AS PA REPRESENTATIVE

3.5 OBSERVE AND REPORT ON MOIRAN DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES

3.6 YOU ARE NOW DIRECTLY SUBORDINATE TO CINCFAREAST

3.7 STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, DIPLOMATIC AUTHORITY, DIPLOMATIC INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW

3.8 GOOD LUCK

VERTIFICATION: LAUF76ASDKO-AXZFASFD89

ENDS

------------------------------------------------------------

Jilt crumpled the readout and glared up, cigarette bouncing. How much of a head start had the Moirans gained? Not a decisive one, she had to hope. They, not BATTERRAM, were the immediate concern. If the crisis or the talks upset the delicate strategic balance the carefully maintained MAD between the PA and MCE war might erupt.

She was not cutthroat ambitious, but she hadn't worked her way up from a clanless junior sergeant to SubMarshal - correction, Vice Marshal - sleepwalking. She was well aware the only reason it was her filling this post was her proximity to the crisis and position to intercept. But what a piece of luck! She might sidestep this backwater stage of her career entirely, perhaps keep the Vice Marshal rank at the end of things.

"Comms. Inform Captain First Rank Amin that he now commands Task Force Hind."

Without hesitation she reached a hand into the holograph and grabbed her four fastest ships. She discarded the idea of recalling her Marines on the ground. There was no time, they would be picked up by the remaining flotilla.

"Comms. Transmit to the selected ships. Designated Task Force Mountain."

"Officers and crews. This is Acting Vice Marshal Jilt. We have been reassigned on a mission of strategic importance: The execution of diplomatic duties in Kefalonian space, pertaining to battle against an unprecedented threat. We shall be operating alone, our transit will be at uncomfortable flanking acceleration. I am certain I can count on your redoubled efforts and unwavering loyalty. V.Mar Jilt out."

"Captain, get my ship ready for transit to Kapeton. We must beat the OIR Shire. Inquire with Engineering as to the possibility of 110% reactor output."

There was muted uproar as the crew leapt from bored inaction to preparation. But after minutes of organised chaos the verbal assents and green status lights came in steadily.

"All ready? Sound the acceleration alarm! Break orbit on my mark: Mark!"

Their engines hurled them savagely out of the wisps of atmosphere, tinged with ash. They were away.
 
Kefalonian Hinterland
Repairs took about three local days with help from the Salvagers. During that time, the Federation personnel got a taste for the wilder spaces of the Kefalonian frontier. Huge mining ships as big as the largest military vessels moved in and out of the sector restocking on food and water as their perpetual motion engines needed no fuel. People of all backgrounds, including ministers and nuns, moved through the Salvagers' ship to make repairs and every now and again a Kefalonian flotilla would show up running some sort of excercise while also keeping an eye on the Feds. By the final day of repairs, a small Kefalonian cruiser had arrived, its sidewalls emblazoned with the red and white livery of the Diplomatic Corps.

Boarding the Federation flagship was a tall and lanky (as most Kefalonians were) woman in the red and white uniform of a Master Kinesis Trooper, her designation was Ellisok Ayan, Kinesis Corps Commander, Pyropsychic of the First Class.

Strolling the halls of the Federation ship with her slightly shorter, worm-like male attaché, Commander Ayan tossed the idea about in her head that she could possibly incinerate half of the security staff on the vessel with a whim. But no, that would definitely be uncouth. She was shown into the bridge to see Admiral Reznev to discuss diplomatic manners that had just come to the attention of Sector Command out here in the Hinterlands.

IneedHealing IneedHealing

Royal Palace, Kefalonia Prime
By now, the spaceport had been made clear for the arrival of their esteemed guests, including the Entirans which had been invited at the last minute ( Buckteeth Buckteeth ). The hall in which the meeting was to take place was the one usually reserved for formal state dances and parties. The room spanned the length of ten football fields, and about half that in width. The vaulted ceiling was adorned with a fresco of the night sky wherein the different colored jewels representing the stars of the heavens twinkled by the virtue of millions of hidden lighting fixtures, and turned ever so slowly on a large, cylindrical belt to give the illusion of the movement of the stars across the sky as night faded to morning. Every so often, a pair of statues of the Saints adorned the walls of the grand hall, and between them large, stained glass reliefs that relied on a technological trick of light manipulation to signify movement. On the panes were religious scenes, depictions of battles, portraits of long-dead kings and leaders, and at the ends of the hall were two portraits of the Unnamed Prophet and the First King respectively.

King Voracius sat in his wheelchair in the corner of the room and watched as the servants busied themselves setting the large wood table for a state dinner. He had taken care to craft dinners that would be acceptable to the palletes of his various guests. To his right, Admiral Forozov stood, smoking a pipe and watching as the Ionusian diplomat, his antennae flickering excitedly, was speaking to his Phenian counterpart who nodded his long, hairless head in slow, measured up and down jerks.

"Only two so far sir, but I think the Finecian and the Klavikan ambassadors have just touched down at the spaceport."

Voracius sighed and leaned against his balled up fist. "Admiral, could you instruct the servants to put on a music recording?"

"What shall they play, Your Majesty?"

"Earth music, I think Chopin's Nocturne No. 9."

"As you wish, My Liege." Forozov walked to the nearest servant in the room, and spoke several curt words to him. The servant left and moments later a wandering piano tune drifted up out of hidden speakers in the walls. Voracius closed his eyes and let the ancient tune take him.
 
-Edge of Aegis Super Cluster-

Several blips appeared on the deep warp scans, the blips were ships that were attempting to use the "Araxi" Hyperlane. "Fucking alien scums." The Commanding officer of the SM-2 Hyperlane control station slammed his fist on a large holographic pad, as gravitational and warp disruption generators were activated, pulling out all the ships from warp as the large Federal Dreadnoughts came converging in to intercept them.

There was also a warp disruption ship in the vicinity to prevent the vessels from trying to warp out, locking down the entire area.
latest

"Provisional Authority vessels. You are in violation of Federal territory, which is currently under Condition Black. Your vessels have attempted to use our hyperlanes which are on lock-down. That is your second violation. Explain your purpose for attempting to intrude into the Federation's Aegis Supercluster."
Echopraxia Echopraxia


-Ikazuchi: DeFacto Capital of LEO Sector-

A steady stream of ships from the entire 14th Armada continued to warp into the Ikazuchi System. Along with any last elements of LEOSECCOM. The system itself was being overrun with thousands of large military vessels, crowding the spaces between the planets, trying to find a navy dry dock.

"How much of the 14th Armada is present?"

"Approximately 54% of the entire Armada. The other 44% have been ordered to turn around and continue to scan for other hostile vessels that might be lurking."

-Reznev-

Reznev was in the middle of briefing his remaining command-staff about the situation at hand before he was alerted to a new presence within the bridge. Turning around, Reznev met eye to eye with the young female commander. "Supreme Admiral Yau Reznev. And you are?"
Shireling Shireling
 

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